Privacy Policy

Ball Chatham Food Pantry (“we,” “our,” or “us”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information you provide when visiting our website, ballchathamfoodpantry.org (the “Website”), making a donation, contacting us, volunteering, or requesting food assistance.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and safeguard information from donors, volunteers, clients, applicants, and other visitors to our Website.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us through our Website, forms, donations, email, phone calls, text messages, or other communications.

General Contact Information

We may collect:

- First and last name

- Email address

- Phone number

- Mailing address, if provided

- Any information submitted through contact forms or messages

Food Assistance and Client Intake Information

If you complete a food assistance request or client intake form, we may collect information needed to determine eligibility, coordinate support, and provide pantry services. This may include:

- First and last name

- Phone number

- Email address

- Home address or general residency information

- Whether you live within the Ball-Chatham School District

- Household size

- Number of adults and children in the household

- Employment status or general household income/work information

- Information about your current need for food assistance

- Any additional information you choose to provide related to your request for help

We understand that food assistance information may be personal and sensitive. We use this information only for legitimate pantry-related purposes, including reviewing requests, coordinating food assistance, maintaining service records, and communicating with you about pantry services.

Donation Information

When you make a donation through our Website, your payment information, such as credit or debit card details, is processed securely by a third-party payment processor, Stripe.

We do not store or have direct access to your full payment card details.

Volunteer Information

If you submit a volunteer form or contact us about volunteering, we may collect your name, contact information, availability, interests, and other information needed to coordinate volunteer opportunities.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

- Respond to inquiries and communicate with you

- Review and process food assistance requests

- Determine eligibility for pantry services

- Coordinate food pickup, delivery, scheduling, or follow-up communication

- Maintain internal records for pantry operations

- Process and acknowledge donations

- Provide receipts and records of contributions

- Coordinate volunteer opportunities

- Improve our Website, forms, and services

- Protect the rights, safety, and security of our organization, clients, donors, volunteers, and community

We do not sell, rent, trade, or share your personal information for marketing purposes.

3. Client Privacy and Food Assistance Records

Information submitted through food assistance forms is used only for pantry-related purposes.

We may use client information to:

- Confirm service area eligibility

- Understand household needs

- Coordinate food assistance

- Communicate about pickup times, missing information, scheduling, or related support

- Maintain records required for internal reporting, service tracking, or nonprofit operations

We do not publicly disclose the names or personal information of individuals or families receiving food assistance.

Access to client information is limited to authorized pantry staff, volunteers, board members, or service providers who need the information to perform pantry-related duties.

4. Text Messaging and Phone Communications

If you provide your phone number and opt in to receive text messages, Ball Chatham Food Pantry or authorized pantry staff may contact you by text message regarding your food assistance request or pantry services.

Text messages may include:

- Application or intake follow-up

- Missing information requests

- Pickup instructions

- Appointment or scheduling reminders

- Pantry service updates related to your request

Text messages are not used for marketing, fundraising, or promotional purposes unless separate consent is obtained.

Text messages may come from a pantry-approved phone number or from authorized pantry staff using a phone number designated for pantry communication. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency may vary.

You may opt out of text messages at any time by replying “STOP” or by contacting us directly. Opting out of text messages will not prevent you from receiving food assistance, although it may limit how quickly we can communicate with you.

5. Payment Processing

All online donations are processed through Stripe, a secure third-party payment provider.

Your payment information is encrypted and handled directly by Stripe in accordance with Stripe’s privacy and security policies. We recommend reviewing Stripe’s Privacy Policy for additional details on how your payment information is handled.

6. Sharing of Information

We may share information only in limited circumstances, including:

- With service providers who help us operate our Website, forms, donation processing, communications, or pantry services

- With authorized pantry staff, volunteers, or board members who need the information to carry out pantry-related responsibilities

- If required by law, regulation, subpoena, court order, or legal process

- To protect the rights, safety, and security of our organization, clients, donors, volunteers, staff, or community

- With your consent or at your direction

We do not sell, rent, trade, or share donor, volunteer, client, applicant, phone number, or text messaging consent information for marketing purposes.

7. Data Security

We take reasonable administrative, technical, and physical measures to protect personal information from unauthorized access, misuse, loss, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.

However, no method of transmission over the Internet, email, text message, or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

We encourage individuals not to submit highly sensitive information through online forms unless it is necessary for the pantry service being requested.

8. Data Retention

We retain personal information only as long as reasonably necessary for pantry operations, service coordination, donation records, legal compliance, reporting, recordkeeping, and nonprofit administrative purposes.

When information is no longer needed, we may delete, archive, or securely dispose of it in accordance with our internal practices and applicable law.

9. Cookies and Website Tracking

Our Website does not actively use third-party advertising cookies or advanced advertising tracking tools.

Basic functionality, analytics, security, and platform-related tracking may be used through our website provider or related service providers to ensure the Website operates properly and to improve the user experience.

10. Your Rights and Choices

You may request to:

- Access the personal information we have about you

- Correct or update your information

- Request deletion of your personal information, subject to legal, operational, or recordkeeping requirements

- Opt out of text messages, emails, or other non-essential communications

To make a request, contact us at:

[email protected]

11. Children’s Privacy

Our Website is not intended for children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 13.

A parent, guardian, or adult household member may provide household information, including the number of children in the household, when requesting food assistance.

12. Third-Party Services

Our Website may use third-party service providers, including website hosting, form tools, payment processors, email services, communication tools, and other operational platforms.

These providers may process information on our behalf only as needed to provide their services to us. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party websites or services that we do not control.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date.

Continued use of our Website or services after changes are posted means you acknowledge the updated Privacy Policy.

14. Contact Information

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your information is handled, please contact us:

Ball Chatham Food Pantry
Chatham, Illinois, United States
Email: [email protected]